Cuba offers travelers a myriad of artistic, social and sensual pleasures. The art, music and architecture are unparalleled in the Western Hemisphere, the tropical waters sparkling blue, and the people are as warm as a Caribbean breeze. Defying all logic, the world’s 105th-largest country is also one of its most instantly recognizable. Think psychedelic Che Guevara murals and antediluvian American Buicks; guys with bongos and old men slapping down dominoes; fishermen on inner-tubes and taxi drivers smoking chunky Montecristos. Cuba has a way of going against the grain. It’s all part of its historical make-up, part of its dynamism, part of its intrinsic beauty.

Sitting pretty as the Caribbean’s largest and most vivacious city, Havana’s romantic atmosphere and infectious energy are the stuff of legend. Amid the warm crystalline waters of the sparkling Caribbean, over 500 years of roller-coaster history have conspired to create one of Latin America’s most electric and culturally unique societies. The stomping ground for swashbuckling pirates, a heavily fortified slave port for the Spanish and a lucrative gambling capital for the North American Mafia, Havana has survived everything that has been thrown at it and still found time to innovate. At the forefront of modern Latino culture, Havana has spawned salsa and mambo, Havana Club rum and Cohiba cigars, mural painting and Che Guevara iconography. Nowhere else but in the streets of Havana is Spanish colonial architecture so abundant. Everywhere you look there is a unique image begging to be recorded.

Whether by bustling, colorful day or sultry, salsa-filled night, so much of Havana's daily life is acted out in its streets and squares- and the best way to encounter it is on foot. We’ll hit the streets of all the captivating neighborhoods, with their brilliant natural lighting at any time of day, to discover the essence of the city itself.

Old Havana contains the core of the original city of Havana. It is one of the oldest settlements in the Americas, full of charming, weatherworn buildings and narrow, intriguing roadways. Old Havana is one of the most unique, atmospheric places on the planet. Between the people, the buildings, the music, the history and the food - walking the streets of Old Havana will sweep even the most unsentimental of travelers off their feet.

Lorne has been traveling to Cuba since 1995. During that time he has totaled more than 16 months shooting in Cuba, much of it in Havana. He considers Havana a second home and one of the most photogenic places on the planet. You can see a twenty-minute video of interviews from Cuba here (along with many more images) from his upcoming book on Cuba, Cuba Dreaming - life in the moment.

Sample of 12-day itinerary (8-day trips also available):

Day 1: Miami, Florida. Allowing for people to arrive during the day, we will begin after dinner with the first group meeting.

Day 2: We will meet this morning after breakfast to continue the workshop orientation and distribute the travel documents. We will then depart for Miami International Airport for our scheduled 1PM flight to Havana. We'll arrive in Havana at 2PM and transfer to our hotel. Our hotel in Havana is the four-star Hotel Telegrafo, ideally located across the street from Parque Central, bordering Old Havana and Central Havana and a 10-minute walk down the Prado to the Malecón. The perfect location for exploring Havana's endless photographic opportunities.

Day 2-4: Havana: Each day, we will endeavor to shoot both sunrise and sunset. The middle of the day will be used either for additional shooting (if the sun isn't too harsh and flat) and/or image reviews and discussions about techniques.

Day 5: Transfer to Trinidad (approximate 5-hour drive).

Day 5-7: Trinidad.

Day 8: Transfer back to Havana.

Highlights of Havana and Trinidad:

• The Malecón: the Malecón is a 7-kilometer sea wall in Havana Bay that runs along one of the main arteries of the city. It is so important to and ingrained in the psyche of Havana's residents that it's often called the "soul" of Havana. Throughout the day you will see men fishing off the coral outcropping that borders the walkway and children swimming in the ocean At night you will see lovers entwined on cozy perches and groups of people gathering all along the sea wall. The most picturesque section of El Malecón is probably Centro Habana with its crumbling facades, faded paint, neoclassical buildings and Neo-Moorish buildings, which separate the Malecón from the city.

• Revolution Museum: lavishly decorated by Tiffany’s, NYC, this beautiful building was formerly the Presidential Palace of Dictator Fulgencio Batista. The exhibits include photographs, cine film, clothing, original documents and weapons. Outside you will find several trucks, planes, tanks and a piece of a shot down U2 spy plane. They all surround the glass enclosure of Granma, which is a 59-foot motor launch that carried Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other fighters to the island in 1956.

• National Capitol: built in 1929 to house the island's Senate and House of Representatives, and with a dome that dominates the Havana skyline, this building looks rather similar to the Congress building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

• Morro Castle: perched on a rocky bluff above the Atlantic, the fort - with its irregular polygon shape, thick walls and deep protective moat - is a classic example of Renaissance military architecture. The picturesque lighthouse guards the entrance to Havana bay

• Partagas Cigar Factory: the Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagas is the oldest cigar factory in Havana. The cigars are still rolled by hand and there is a tradition that someone is employed to read to the workers while they work.

• Cabaret Tropicana: the Tropicana Cabaret is Cuba's most famous cabaret. Opened in 1931, it's known as the "Paradise under the Stars" and it has been pleasing crowds ever since. Surrounded by lush vegetation, visitors can enjoy a glittering spectacle featuring over 200 singers, dancers, musicians and vocalists.

• Castillo de la Real Fuerza: opened in 1577, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza fort guarded Havana and her Spanish fleets for hundreds of years. Expanded several times over the centuries, the Giraldilla statue on its top has now become a symbol of Havana.

• Havana’s Cars: to walk around Havana is to see thousands of classic car models cruising by and, at times, you could be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into a curious automobile museum

• Plaza de la Revolution: the Plaza is one of the world's largest city squares, measuring 72000 square meters. The square is dominated by the José Martí Memorial, which features a 109-meter (358-foot) tall tower and an 18-meter (59-foot) statue and the Ministry of the Interior- which would just be an ordinary building except for the giant ironwork mural forged in the likeness of Ernest (Che) Guevara.

We will also be taking a 3-day trip to Trinidad. Those visiting the 500-year-old city will find Spanish colonial architecture, underscoring a colonial ambiance that marks the tiny city as one of the country’s greatest attractions. Only a few square blocks in size, historic Trinidad is famous for its lovely, cobblestone streets, pastel colored houses with elaborate wrought-iron grills, as well as majestic palaces and plazas.